Thunderbird Club

[Count Bassie]

Wonderfully kind of you, Sir...

Lol. You could keep it... Hey! Get out the vacuum cleaner! Duct tape the nozzle to something and aim it at the work, super-close, and...

 

[BklynKen]

That’s the Whatyoudoingareyouonthatthingagaindidsomeonegetnewstringsandputupaphotoooohhowexciting look.

More like, “As soon as you get up you’re petting me at the food bowl.”

 

[theFixer]

Lol. You could keep it... Hey! Get out the vacuum cleaner! Duct tape the nozzle to something and aim it at the work, super-close, and...

... then spend the next hour rummaging through the vacuum’s bag of filth for the pot? Let’s call that plan “C”...

 

[Count Bassie]

... then spend the next hour rummaging through the vacuum’s bag of filth for the pot? Let’s call that plan “C”...

Lol, well I don't think... never mind!

 

[theFixer]

Lol, well I don't think... never mind!

Trust me... I know me. It doesn’t matter if it’s scientifically possible... it’ll happen!
To quote the Reverend Albert King, “I’m a bad luck boy... been havin’ bad luck all o’ my days”.

 

[Gaolee]

It's more that it gets my blood up when people say about things that I like "this is crap" rather than "I don't like this."

I don't like SWR amps at all, but I don't think they're crap. Just not made to make the sounds I want to make.

My favorite bass tone I've gotten so far is actually from another friend's red knob Sunn Model T, though. So nasty.

We can agree on the Sunn. I have played through one of those, and a 200. The 200 was probably tired, but it sounded great as far as it went. I can't say much about SWR amps, because I haven't used one. The SVT is just one of those things. Everyone but me loves 'em. I can't find a sound that works in one of those. The Ampeg, aside from an old floptop, that I liked was a Rocket 100. It sounds like a slightly less present fliptop. Go figure. That sound doesn't work for everything, which is why I have the 360. That has a much wider range of sounds I can get out of it, especially the new one that has a HF horn in it. Folded horns aren't universally beloved in the GP, and I don't mind people telling me it's an out of date, inadequate design. I just smile, and sound like I sound.

 

[Gaolee]

Lol, well I don't think... never mind!

Neither do I. What were we talking about?

 

[Nocturnal]

The only thing I'd like more than my 2 x 12s would be four of them. Once upon a time 412s used to be everywhere and now you hardly see them. Whether by happy accident or design, the YBA200 and SVT212AV seem made for each other.

I would love a reason to have a 4X12 again. The 2X12 is nice but 4-12's is a thing of beauty to me. There is an Ampeg 4X12 bass cab for sale somewhere in my region. Sooooo tempted by it.

 

[GBassNorth]

... then spend the next hour rummaging through the vacuum’s bag of filth for the pot? Let’s call that plan “C”...

Yo Fix - you're going about this solder sucker all wrong. Everyone knows the wildest brainstorms come after about 6 beers. So sit down turn on the tube to a NASCAR race knock back a few beers and see what crazy solution comes to mind.

6 beers later...
Hey ya'll watch this - I figured a way to suck that solder off my pot... here, hold my beer. Now watch closely while I get the iron good and hot and suck on this ice cube to get my lips good and cold. The way I figure it, once that solder is melted if I'm real fast and suck real hard then spit it out real quick I'll be good to go.

 

[theFixer]

Yo Fix - you're going about this solder sucker all wrong. Everyone knows the wildest brainstorms come after about 6 beers. So sit down turn on the tube to a NASCAR race knock back a few beers and see what crazy solution comes to mind.

6 beers later...
Hey ya'll watch this - I figured a way to suck that solder off my pot... here, hold my beer. Now watch closely while I get the iron good and hot and suck on this ice cube to get my lips good and cold. The way I figure it, once that solder is melted if I'm real fast and suck real hard then spit it out real quick I'll be good to go.

OOHHH!!! SO many opportunities for bad jokes in there! Being a sporting fellow... I’mma let ‘em fly right by. There’s no challenge!

 

[Count Bassie]

The most often used follow up to "Hold my beer" is "Call 911"...

 

[Korladis]

I would imagine that a 4x12 bass cabinet would be a bastard to haul around. I personally would go for 2 - 2x12 cabs before I’d go with a 4x12

My friend's wasn't really any more difficult than a guitar 4x12 to move around. I prefer my 2x15, obviously, but the 4x12 was still not bad.

HAH!!! “Not too bad”, is definitely relative! The weight differential between the Mesa 4x12 and 8x10 cabs, is greater than the total weight of my 500 watt GK 2x10 combo!

Yeah, but you don't have to deadlift either of those.

Also they're both big enough to be usable for me.

But you don't have to pick it up to go up and down stairs.
Their 212 is the same cab as their 410, which is awkward to haul around because it is very wide and the only handles are on the side. I'd rather tilt back a 412 and go up one step at a time than try and haul a 212/410 up and down the stairs TWICE

Exactly.

We can agree on the Sunn. I have played through one of those, and a 200. The 200 was probably tired, but it sounded great as far as it went. I can't say much about SWR amps, because I haven't used one. The SVT is just one of those things. Everyone but me loves 'em. I can't find a sound that works in one of those. The Ampeg, aside from an old floptop, that I liked was a Rocket 100. It sounds like a slightly less present fliptop. Go figure. That sound doesn't work for everything, which is why I have the 360. That has a much wider range of sounds I can get out of it, especially the new one that has a HF horn in it. Folded horns aren't universally beloved in the GP, and I don't mind people telling me it's an out of date, inadequate design. I just smile, and sound like I sound.

SWR amps are basically super scooped. That's why I don't like them. That works for some people, though.

A lot of people make the (in my view) mistake of using the ultra low and ultra high switches on SVTs. I think using either, especially the ultra low, is not a great plan and makes it harder to get a good sound. Then again a lot of people wouldn't like the sounds I get on them either.

I like the red knob version of the Model T for bass. The silver knob version is better for guitar, IMO.

All my gear is very "outdated" by TB standards.

 

[GBassNorth]

Latest surprises as I Frankenmod my Goth.

I just assumed the Goth body construction was similar to my Gibson TBird except with a bolt on neck. Turns out the raised center section of the Goth body is actually just a piece of 4ply plywood glued to the slab body front and back. I guess it makes sense from a price and construction standpoint, I just wasn't expecting to see plywood when I routed the pickup cavities.

I also found the neck pocket had a thick tape shim at the heel (bridge end of the pocket) as opposed to a tapered route, I might remove it and get some tapered full pocket wood shims from Stewmac for a little better neck to body contact.

Lastly, the goofball at the factory that drilled the holes for the neck screws must have been cross eyed. They ended up drilling two screw holes through the body right next to each other with about a 1/16" of wood separating them. Not a huge deal on the body because the screws are a slip fit there and the neckplate distributes the pressure but unfortunately they drilled the neck the same way and that's where the threads need to bite. So it looks like I'll be installing some dowel and re-drilling the neck. Not what I expected from a brand new bass.

Good news is, I DO have a solder sucker if I need it!

 

[DerekW]

Thunderbird sighting, Theory of a Deadman in Detroit

 

[kat888]

We can agree on the Sunn. I have played through one of those, and a 200. The 200 was probably tired, but it sounded great as far as it went. I can't say much about SWR amps, because I haven't used one. The SVT is just one of those things. Everyone but me loves 'em. I can't find a sound that works in one of those. The Ampeg, aside from an old floptop, that I liked was a Rocket 100. It sounds like a slightly less present fliptop. Go figure. That sound doesn't work for everything, which is why I have the 360. That has a much wider range of sounds I can get out of it, especially the new one that has a HF horn in it. Folded horns aren't universally beloved in the GP, and I don't mind people telling me it's an out of date, inadequate design. I just smile, and sound like I sound.

'floptop'

on the other hand, substantial financial inducement would be required for me to accept an svt

 

[kat888]

My friend's wasn't really any more difficult than a guitar 4x12 to move around. I prefer my 2x15, obviously, but the 4x12 was still not bad.


Yeah, but you don't have to deadlift either of those.

Also they're both big enough to be usable for me.


Exactly.


SWR amps are basically super scooped. That's why I don't like them. That works for some people, though.

A lot of people make the (in my view) mistake of using the ultra low and ultra high switches on SVTs. I think using either, especially the ultra low, is not a great plan and makes it harder to get a good sound. Then again a lot of people wouldn't like the sounds I get on them either.

I like the red knob version of the Model T for bass. The silver knob version is better for guitar, IMO.

All my gear is very "outdated" by TB standards.

Yeah the 'ultra' switches are basically scoop switches iirc.

Dime the mids, adjust bass and treble to taste -- we should have that carved over the door.

 

[hillerup]

That’s one of the big changes in bass world during my time away from music. Used to be that... if you played bass, you used 10” & 15” speakers (with the occasional 18” getting in the mix). 12’s seem to be “where it’s at” these days. From everything I’ve been reading, it sounds like there’s a good reason for that. I’d like to mess around with a good 2x12...

Interesting to know I was a pioneer back in the 80's when I used a Marshall rack with two 4x12 cabinets...

 

[hillerup]

Hey! Electronics people! What’s a good way for a guy who doesn’t have a solder sucker, to get excess solder off a pot casing?

To get a solder sucker...

Or one of those solder sucking metal ribbons that comes in rolls.

Edit: I was late to the party - Apparently that metal sucking ribbon is called a desoldering braid... So I learned something new today!

 

[RedVee]

One of these days. For some reason it is quite intriguing/alluring but that may also be a case of finding a pedal to GAS a little about where previously there was none -- 'I'm done with pedals'.

I put out feelers on the local forum, hoping someone might say 'hey try mine for a couple of weeks', but obviously need to work on my charm.

I have an aversion to flipping through kit as well, like to think about things at length before making a decision. I agonised about the chorus -- don't need it, sounds cheesy after 5 minutes, what would Billy Talbot do ... but then y'know there's that fancy power supply I bought to eliminate the need to put toxic battery sh1t in landfill and it has all those unused connections and there IS this one song which would really benefit from a chorus (and it's only about 5 minutes long) so why'n'hell not? This went on and off for months.

Buying one new at Australian retail prices would use up most of the dosh put by for the Vintage Pro. I can wait.

Kat, I had to search to find that pedal swap post. Hadn’t seen it until after I saw this post.
I’ll give it a bump.

Are you going to the Syd GTG (Nov4)?

It may be an opportunity to try one - if anyone coming brings one that is!

 

[kat888]

..

Kat, I had to search to find that pedal swap post. Hadn’t seen it until after I saw this post.
I’ll give it a bump.

Are you going to the Syd GTG (Nov4)?

It may be an opportunity to try one - if anyone coming brings one that is!

No need Geoff, I was being a bit cheeky really. Didn't really expect any takers. I'll have to see about the GTG. Work is going to consume pretty much my whole life from now until Jan or Feb though I think.